In Vivo validation of a bioinformatics based tool to identify reduced replication capacity in HIV-1.

Although antiretroviral drug resistance is common in treated HIV infected individuals, it is not a consistent indicator of HIV morbidity and mortality. To the contrary, HIV resistance-associated mutations may lead to changes in viral fitness that are beneficial to infected individuals. Using a bioinformatics-based model to assess the effects of numerous drug resistance mutations, we determined that the D30N mutation in HIV-1 protease had the largest decrease in replication capacity among known protease resistance mutations. To test this in silico result in an in vivo environment, we constructed several drug-resistant mutant HIV-1 strains and compared their relative fitness utilizing the SCID-hu mouse model. We found HIV-1 containing the D30N mutation had a significant defect in vivo, showing impaired replication kinetics and a decreased ability to deplete CD4+ thymocytes, compared to the wild-type or virus without the D30N mutation. In comparison, virus containing the M184V mutation in reverse transcriptase, which shows decreased replication capacity in vitro, did not have an effect on viral fitness in vivo. Thus, in this study we have verified an in silico bioinformatics result with a biological assessment to identify a unique mutation in HIV-1 that has a significant fitness defect in vivo

Unilateral Refusals to Supply and the Essential Facilities Doctrine under New Zealand's Competition Law

Refusals to supply are one of the types of behaviour that may constitute an illegal act of monopolisation under competition law. As part of United States refusal to supply law the courts developed the essential facilities doctrine. This requires the owner of a facility which is essential to rivals to provide access to that facility. Courts, in particular the United States Supreme Court, have cast doubt on the doctrine and cut back on liability for unilateral refusals to supply. Conversely New Zealand (and Australian) courts have increased liability for refusals to supply. One case, Commerce Commission v Bay of Plenty Electricity Ltd suggested New Zealand has its own essential facilities doctrine. This article discusses and analyses refusals to supply both legally and economically. It compares United States and Australasian law and shows how New Zealand law is tougher on refusals to supply. It argues that New Zealand has its own version of the essential facilities doctrine – albeit for different reasons than the Bay of Plenty Electricity Court suggested. It shows that sound reasons justify this stance

It Ain't Necessarily So: Australian Competition and Consumer Commission v Pfizer Australia Pty Ltd and the Reasons for Reforming s 36 of the Commerce Act

The Government has indicated it is going to amend s 36 of the Commerce Act 1986. Its reasons are that s 36 fails to capture sufficient anticompetitive conduct, is difficult and complex to apply and makes litigation unpredictable. The Government proposes a substantial lessening of competition test which it claims will capture more conduct, make analysis more straightforward and provide a source of Australian authority for New Zealand courts. This article uses an Australian Federal Court case, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission v Pfizer Australia Pty Ltd, to show that the claims for reform are overstated and in some cases incorrect. It argues the foundations of the case for reform of s 36 are wobbly and infirm

Price Squeezes in New Zealand Competition Law: Goodbye to the Efficient Component Pricing Rule and the Equally Efficient Competitor

One of Professor Prebble's many achievements is that he is a fellow of the Law and Economics Association of New Zealand. This achievement recognises his contribution to the economic analysis of law. The first field to which scholars applied economic analysis of law was competition law. This article examines a particularly contentious area of New Zealand's competition law; viz the Efficient Component Pricing Rule and s 36 of the Commerce Act 1986. This rule first arose in Clear Communications Ltd's dispute with Telecom Corp of New Zealand Ltd. The Privy Council endorsed charging on the basis of the rule – saying its use did not breach s 36. Many years later New Zealand's Court of Appeal held Telecom's use of it amounted to a breach of s 36 in the context of price squeeze litigation. This article examines how the Court of Appeal concluded this. It looks at the economics of price squeezes and the rationale behind the Efficient Component Pricing Rule. It discusses United States law on price squeezes and shows how that law is hostile to finding competition law liability for price squeezes. It outlines the New Zealand cases and analyses the reasoning of the cases – particularly the Court of Appeal price squeeze case. It concludes that in holding use of the rule was a breach of s 36 the Court has eliminated the equally efficient competitor standard test for monopolisation and interred the Efficient Component Pricing Rule. It also argues that proscribing price squeezes is worthwhile

Asian and OECD international R&D spillovers

Previous studies have demonstrated an empirical relationship between accumulated R&D expenditures and total factor productivity (TFP), and have shown that the benefits of R&D can spill across countries through trade. This paper extends these analyses to a sample of 15 OECD countries and six Asian countries, Chinese Taipei, India, Indonesia, Korea, Singapore and Thailand. An empirical model is estimated which relates TFP to domestic and foreign R&D activity, TFP catch-up and business cycle variables. Model estimates show that TFP and domestic R&D capital are positively related, and that domestic R&D has a relatively large impact on TFP growth in the NICs and LICs. Country-specific international R&D spillover elasticities are of mixed sign, and no apparent pattern by country group is evident. While this result does not change the earlier qualitative conclusions, it suggests that estimates of sample average R&D spillover elasticities should be cautiously interpreted.R&D activity; Asian and OECD spillovers

High-resolution x-ray diffraction study of the heavy-fermion compound YbBiPt

YbBiPt is a heavy-fermion compound possessing significant short-range antiferromagnetic correlations below a temperature of $T^{\textrm{*}}=0.7$ K, fragile antiferromagnetic order below $T_{\rm{N}}=0.4$ K, a Kondo temperature of $T_{\textrm{K}} \approx1$ K, and crystalline-electric-field splitting on the order of $E/k_{\textrm{B}}=1\,\textrm{-}\,10$ K. Whereas the compound has a face-centered-cubic lattice at ambient temperature, certain experimental data, particularly those from studies aimed at determining its crystalline-electric-field scheme, suggest that the lattice distorts at lower temperature. Here, we present results from high-resolution, high-energy x-ray diffraction experiments which show that, within our experimental resolution of $\approx6\,\textrm{-}\,10\times10^{-5}$ \AA, no structural phase transition occurs between $T=1.5$ and $50$ K. In combination with results from dilatometry measurements, we further show that the compound's thermal expansion has a minimum at $\approx18$ K and a region of negative thermal expansion for $9<T<18$ K. Despite diffraction patterns taken at $1.6$ K which indicate that the lattice is face-centered cubic and that the Yb resides on a crystallographic site with cubic point symmetry, we demonstrate that the linear thermal expansion may be modeled using crystalline-electric-field level schemes appropriate for Yb$^{3+}$ residing on a site with either cubic or less than cubic point symmetry.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.

AFM imaging and plasmonic detection of organic thin-films deposited on nanoantenna arrays

In this study, atomic force microscopy (AFM) imaging has been used to reveal the preferential deposition of organic thin-films on patterned nanoantenna array surfaces - identifying the localised formation of both monolayer and multilayer films of octadecanethiol (ODT) molecules, depending on the concentration of the solutions used. Reliable identification of this selective deposition process has been demonstrated for the first time, to our knowledge. Organic thin-films, in particular films of ODT molecules, were deposited on plasmonic resonator surfaces through a chemi-sorption process - using different solution concentrations and immersion times. The nanoantennas based on gold asymmetric-split ring resonator (A-SRR) geometries were fabricated on zinc selenide (ZnSe) substrates using electron-beam lithography and the lift-off technique. Use of the plasmonic resonant-coupling technique has enabled the detection of ODT molecules deposited from a dilute, micromolar (1 M) solution concentration - with attomole sensitivity of deposited material per A-SRR – a value that is three orders of magnitude lower in concentration than previously reported. Additionally, on resonance, the amplitude of the molecular vibrational resonance peaks is typically an order of magnitude larger than that for the non-resonant coupling. Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy shows molecule specific spectral responses – with magnitudes corresponding to the different film thicknesses deposited on the resonator surfaces. The experimental results are supported by numerical simulation

Advanced communications policy and adoption in rural Western Australia

Recent moves toward contestable universal service markets for rural areas raises issues of measuring the net cost of service provision. Measurement of net cost requires estimates of latent demand for advanced communications. This paper seeks for the first time to provide quantitative estimates of the magnitude of latent income pools available to carriers in rural WA. Estimates of latent expenditure on broadband services in rural WA are obtained using a combination of stated-preference and survey data. These expenditures increase with computer ownership, community isolation and information need. Further, the statistical model supports the commonly held belief that more distant populations have stronger information demands and are willing to pay for services. This finding suggests that carrier aversion to providing services to rural regions may not be justified on commercial grounds.Advanced communications; broadband service; internet rural access; universal service obligations

Deposition of Organic Molecules on Gold Nanoantennas for Sensing

The deposition of organic molecules on gold nanoantennas is reported through chemisorption for sensing in the midinfrared (mid-IR) spectral range. The specific nanostructures are gold asymmetric-split ring resonators (A-SRRs) based on circular-geometry with two different ‘arc’ lengths. The plasmonic resonant coupling technique was used to match the vibrational responses of the targeted molecules for their enhanced detection. Gold nanostructures are functionalised through chemisorption of octadecanethiol (ODT) in ethanol solution. The molecular vibrational responses were measured using a microscope coupled Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The experimental findings are closely supported using FDTD simulation. The modified nanoantennas surfaces are capable of supporting wide range of organic-sensing applications

The meteorological measurement system on the NASA ER-2 aircraft

A Meteorological Measurement System (MMS) was designed for the high-altitude ER-2 aircraft (NASA 706). Through dedicated instrumentation installed on the aircraft and repeated calibrations, the MMS provides accurate in situ measurements of free-stream pressure, temperature, and the wind vector. The MMS has participated in two major high-altitude scientific expeditions, the Stratosphere-Troposphere Exchange Project (STEP) based in northern Australia and the Airborne Antarctic Ozone Experiment (AAOE) based in southern Chile. Key MMS subsystems are described. The MMS consists of a dedicated inertial navigation system (INS), a randome differential pressure system, a data acquisition system, and air data instrumentation. The MMS incorporates a high-resolution INS (Litton LIN-72RH model), which is specially configured and is updated at 25 Hz. The differential pressure system, consisting of two sets of pressure ports and transducers, is installed in the ER-2 radome to provide sensitive measurements of the airflow angles (angle of attack and angle of sideslip). The data acquisition system was designed to meet aircraft requirements of compactness and light weight (2 cu ft 50 lb) and for MMS requirements to sample, control, process, and store 45 parameters (some redundant) at a sampling rate up to 10 Hz. The MMS data are stored both in a tape recorder (20 MB) and a hermatically-sealed winchester hard disc (10 MB). Special and redundant instrumentation for temperature and pressure measurements were also installed on the aircraft